


A Kitten's Friend

by momopichu



Series: A Dæmon's Tale [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dæmon, Blood, Explicit Language, M/M, Prejudice, army life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 20:04:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9287717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momopichu/pseuds/momopichu
Summary: Life in the SEP is pretty crazy if you factor in dæmons.





	1. Fuerza

**Author's Note:**

> Characters:  
> Gabriel Reyes, female barn owl dæmon, Estrella (Star, Spanish (female pronouns))  
> Jack Morrison, male cheetah dæmon, Vaeltaja (Wanderer, Finnish)  
> Iris Garza, male honey badger dæmon, Fuerza (Force, Spanish)  
> Zhang, female tiger dæmon  
> Bose, male wolf dæmon  
> Martin, German shepherd dæmon  
> Tadashi Yamaguchi, female squirrel dæmon, Hikari (Light, Japanese)  
> Martinez, male black panther dæmon, Felipe (Phillip, Spanish)

“ _ Shit man _ ,” Garza muttered from her seat across the table. “They gave you a cat dæmon?”

“You’re one to talk,” Gabriel growled back “Look who has a honey badger.”

Fuerza, Garza’s honey badger dæmon, who was draped over the center of the tabletop instantly flipped over, fangs bared and a low growl began to rumble from deep within his throat. Estrella remained unamused for her part, barely even sparing the snarling furball a glance and instead blinking slowly and calmly under the harsh cafeteria lights.

Garza chuckled, so much for trying to ‘ruffle Gabriel’s feathers’. “But  _ damn _ . I had hoped we’d be lucky to never see another cat. Did you hear about what happened between Zhang and Bose?”

Gabriel darted a look up towards the large woman, Garza was wearing a lopsided grin as she turned her mashed potatoes into a larger pile of goop by mashing her fork repeatedly. “No.” He admitted “What happened?”

“Sparring match.” Martin snarled as he dropped his tray of food by the empty seat beside Gabriel, his german shepherd dæmon flicked her ears uncomfortably, canines bared at the corner of her mouth. “Zhang’s tiger got her jaws around Bose’s wolf’s neck.”

Gabriel winced. SEP was gruelling, between all the injections, trainings and simulation tests, tensions and competitive spirit could reach dangerously high levels. Fights tended to break out between dæmons as individuals battled for dominance but nearly  _ killing _ someone else’s dæmon - even if it  _ was _ a sparring match - was totally uncalled for.

“What’s happening to Zhang?” Gabriel asked, scooping a spoonful of mash to his mouth.

“ _ Mandatory supervision _ ,” Martin replied with barely concealed venom. “If they ask me, they should just throw him out.”

“Yeah well, you know why SEP  _ won’t _ do that.” Garza pointed out with a flourish of her fork.

Gabriel hummed in agreement. Zhang was one of two individuals from the first batch who had survived the SEP ever since its inception eight months ago, the other thirty-eight soldiers in their group having either washed out or well...if someone disappeared, no one asked questions. Ever since then, mortality rates had dropped drastically as the scientists refined the super soldier serum with the second batch of inductees producing ten more enhanced individuals from another forty soldiers. Gabriel’s group, lovingly referred to as the ‘ _ third batch _ ’, inducted three months ago, had had the highest success rate so far with eighteen survivors - hopefully that wouldn't change too much as the months continued.

Being one of the longest lasting survivors in the program had its perks it seemed, even if the man and his dæmon were a couple of asses - and that was putting it lightly.

“Hey, Gabi.”

Gabriel looked up from his half-eaten tray. Garza watched him with unblinking hazel eyes, a small spark of concern lighting their dark centers. “If that furball proves too much of a handful...let me know, Fuerza and I will set him straight.”

“Thanks, but I think I can handle it.”

“You and that hatchling?” Garza chuckled.

In response, Estrella shrieked in the other woman’s face, wings beating furiously at the jab. It was Fuerza’s turn to look unamused, a small high keening noise escaping the maws of the honey badger dæmon - a laugh.


	2. Hikari

First injections were always bad. Gabriel would never forget the tingly feeling that shot up his arm the moment the liquid blue serum had entered his body. When asked about what was in the serum, the scientists had only muttered the words ‘classified’ before moving their attention back to their work. Not an hour later and their entire squadron of soldiers were splayed out in the common room trying not to barf over one another. Gabriel had wondered why the SEP hadn’t bothered with ‘team-building exercises’ and now he had his answer - in a sort of round-about way.

His partner at the time had been a small woman with an albatross dæmon, inducted with the second batch and originally from the navy. She had sat with him through the ordeal and even made ginger tea for him and his friends, promising that it could only get better. Gabriel tried not to remember how the scientists had told him one day that his partner had ‘shipped out’, never to return. He tried not to dwell on those that moved on.

But now, he couldn’t help wondering what she would have thought when he took in the sight of the common room. Soldiers from the fourth batch were spread out over every surface, most had purpling bruises on their arms while others were green and trying not to gag over each other - with a few amusing results. Gabriel stifled a chuckle as he watched Garza and Fuerza jump back with a grimace from a recruit who had just spilled his lunch over the floor. Shaking his head slightly, he inspected the room once more. 

Even with Estrella’s enhanced sight, Gabriel could not spot the golden head of hair that was his partner nor the spotted pelt of his feline dæmon. Narrowing his eyes and grunting, he left the common room. There was just so many places one could hide in the huge facility and he had barely talked to the blond other than to brief the younger man on what was to be his daily schedule. He didn’t know where Morrison would go in this situation but Gabriel knew leaving the man to wander alone was probably a bad idea. Rounding a corner, he nearly crashed into Bose.

“Reyes! Sorry man, didn’t see you there,” Bose exclaimed.

“Didn’t see you either, sorry,” Gabriel said, scratching the back of his head. He hadn’t expected to see the other woman, not after what Martin had told him at lunch. “How’re you doing?”

“If you talking about that fight with Zhang…Well, I’m still alive right?” Bose asked with a lopsided grin. Her wolf dæmon gave a disgusted snort, not at all amused by his human’s attempt at humor. Gabriel could clearly see the teeth marks that Zhang’s tiger dæmon had left on the wolf; deep red welts having torn aside the thick fur along the neck. “Anyway, Reyes. I was actually looking for you.”

“Oh? What’s up?”

Bose hesitated, twisting her fingers before her as she fumbled for the words. “It’s… your partner.”

_ Shit _ .

“What did the kid do?” Gabriel asked instantly.  _ I never should’ve taken my eyes off that god's cursed blondie and his damned cat dæmon _ , He thought angrily.

“Well I’m not really sure what  _ he’s  _ doing. But he’s holed up in  _ my _ room with  _ my _ partner.” Bose explained, grimacing.

“Is your partner alright?”

“Same as everyone else, suffering from the injections,” Bose answered “But that’s not…” She sighed, taking a deep breath before continuing “...Tadashi Yamaguchi - my partner - has a squirrel dæmon.”

_ Well… fuck. _

“I’ll go pick up the kid,” Gabriel said instantly.

“Thanks, Reyes.” Bose’s smile was a mixture of relief and gratitude, no doubt the woman was still shaken from her fight with Zhang and was reluctant to get close to another human with a feline dæmon. Gabriel couldn’t blame her.

He just hoped he got to the room in time before that cat dæmon mauled something it shouldn’t have.

* * *

 

“Earth to Jaaaaaack…”

“Shut up Tadashi.” Jack groaned, voice muffled by the pillow he had his face planted in. He was laid on Tadashi’s bed belly-down with Vaeltaja spread across his lower back - both looked none the worse for wear.

“Come on man,” Tadashi muttered, wincing as he fought down the urge to gag. “Gotta give me some sign you’re still alive.”

In response, Jack flipped him the finger.

Tadashi’s laugh was warm and comforting in the pained hell Jack was currently living. Despite himself, he rolled his head just enough to peek at his friend with a feverish blue eye.

“There’s my Jackie!” Tadashi chuckled. Hikari - Tadashi’s grey squirrel dæmon - squeaked happily, levelling herself onto the pillow right by Jack’s head. “Was worried you had smothered yourself to death.”

Jack groaned again, burying his messy blonde head back into the pillow. His body felt like it was on fire, whatever was in the injections was definitely working, although not in the way he had expected. There was not a part of him that didn’t ache, Vaeltaja spread across his back was a grounding weight but it could only do so much.

“Does your tailbone hurt?” Jack asked.

“My pillow doesn’t have a tailbone Jackie.”

Screw Tadashi and his smart mouth. Jack lifted his head, shooting a glare at his grinning friend. He must  _ look _ like hell, face green and dark circles around his usually bright blue eyes; Jack was definitely sure his hair was a mess too. Not that Tadashi looked any better, the usually pale man sitting on the floor and leaning against the bed had gone a few shades paler - if that was possible. The dark brown eyes were nearly black, pearls that hung in bloodshot sclera.

They looked just like Estrella’s eyes.

Thinking about his big, stiff-faced partner and his owl dæmon had Jack face-planting back into the pillow. Captain Gabriel Reyes, to say that the man had given Jack a warm welcome would have been a gross understatement. The large man had barely sniffed in his direction before throwing the folder of timetables at Jack and going back to his bunk in their shared room. Jack had seen these kind of people before, they took one look at Vaeltaja and had decided that he wasn’t worth their time. After all, everyone knew humans with cat dæmons were ‘cruel’ and ‘uncaring’. The change in mood must have been apparent. Not a heartbeat later and Jack felt Tadashi’s hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

“Hey man, what’s up?”

“Nuffin’ ” Jack slurred, not looking up.

“Come on Jack…” A pause. “Jack, as leader of Delta squad and your CO, I order you to tell me what’s wrong.”

“Wow, really? You’re pulling rank on me?” Jack mumbled.

“Do I have to punish you for insubordination?” Tadashi asked, maintaining his military CO tone.

“We’re in the SEP. Delta squad doesn’t exist here and you aren’t my superior officer anymore.” Jack pointed out, Vaeltaja flicked his ears in agreement, making no move to acknowledge Tadashi and Hikari’s scowl.

The bed shifted and Jack peeked out from the pillow. Tadashi had moved to sit on the bed, his hand never leaving Jack as he rubbed slow circles into the blond’s back.

“Yeah well…” Tadashi began, fumbling for the words, dropping his CO tone. “Delta squad is still my family, even if most of us are already six-feet under.”

_ Shit _ . Jack twisted on the bed, angling his body to face his friend, Vaeltaja dropping off his back to curl neatly at the foot of the bed. “Tadashi...Fuck man, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know you didn’t Jackie.” Tadashi’s smile was sad, accented by his pale skin. “You know, being in SEP hasn’t changed the fact I still see you as my brother. So come on...talk to me.”

Jack pursed his lips, looking away. Tadashi was right, they had gone through so much together, and with most of Delta squad already on the other side. He owed it to Tadashi.  _ Hell _ , he owed it to Henry, Lily, Jake, Adam and everyone else in Delta squad that had passed on. There was just him and Tadashi now, the two lone survivors of Delta squad, they had to look out for each other - because he was Jack’s family too.

“It’s my partner,” Jack sighed at last.

“Captain Reyes?” Tadashi asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah. I have a feeling the guy doesn’t like cats.” Jack growled with a jerk in Vaeltaja’s direction.

“So it’s just a feeling?”

“Yes--no. Goddamn it Tadashi, I don’t know. But the guy acts like he hates me and we haven’t even said more than five sentences to each other.”

“And you’re gonna let him get under your skin - just like that?” Tadashi asked.

Jack paused, staring at his friend. Slowly, a wryly grin stretched across the blond’s face. Tadashi always knew how to talk to his team, whether it be soft and comforting or brisk and to-the-point; it’s what made the man such a good leader and friend. And for better or worse, Jack wouldn’t have it any other way - he’d always wanted a brother like that.

“Guess not,” Jack grumbled, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips as he laid back down on the bed.

“Good. Cause I’m the only one who gets to get under my SIC’s skin!”

“Tadashi wh--!”

Jack didn’t have time to finish his sentence before Tadashi was trying to pull him off the bed, wrestling the blond in a headlock as he ruffled the golden hair with his other hand.

“Fuck man! What happened to post-injection sickness!” Jack demanded, trying not to barf with the sudden change in stance.

“Come on Jackie! Lying down like that is what’s hurting your tailbone, now sit up like a good boy!” Tadashi laughed as Jack tried in vain to free himself.

Vaeltaja, still laid at the base of the bed, propped his head up but made no move to get up, only lazily twitching his tail at the spectacle. But it seemed Tadashi and his dæmon had other plans.

A fluffy grey tail swatted Vaeltaja’s nose, sending the cheetah dæmon scuttling and snarling backwards at the sudden ticklish contact.

“ _ Dammit _ Tadashi!” Jack yelped “I felt that!”

“And there’s more where that came from!” Tadashi chortled.

“Not if we have anything to say about it!” Jack snapped back, grinning.

Hikari was hopping over the bed, swishing her grey fluffy tail playfully as Vaeltaja dropped onto his haunches, wriggling his hindquarters experimentally.  _ Oh _ , they were going to get that little hairball now! Mindful to keep his claws sheathed, Vaeltaja pounced.

It was then that Gabriel Reyes decided to enter the room.

“What the  _ Hell _ is going on here!” He demanded, brown eyes zeroing in on the tiny squirrel dæmon sandwiched between the paws of the cheetah.

Jack and Tadashi broke apart to stand at attention, Vaeltaja snapping away from Hikari to curl his tail guiltily around soft paws. If Jack had any lingering thoughts that Reyes didn’t hate cats, they evaporated in a heartbeat. The captain’s molten stare was directed at Jack and only Jack as dark brown eyes scoured the room and the messy look of both recruits. 

“If you’re so keen on getting your claws into  _ something _ Recruit Morrison,” Gabriel growled, voice low and dangerous. “You can sink your claws into the track and give me fifty laps.” Estrella, perched on his shoulders narrowed black bottomless eyes at the blond, daring Jack to bite back.

“Wait Sir!” Tadashi interjected, Hikari hopping swiftly onto her human’s shoulder. “Jack wasn’t hurting Hikari, we were just --”

“There’s a reason why sparring matches are restricted to the training rooms Mr. Yamaguchi,” Reyes said, Jack didn’t miss the bare softening of his voice towards Tadashi.

“Yes, but I started--”

“Enough!” Gabriel snarled, Estrella unfurled her wings, hissing and spitting - the very picture of an enraged owl. “ _ John _ Morrison. Track, now! Mr. Yamaguchi, I’m reporting this incident to your partner, Bose. You’re lucky the two of you have barely started SEP; if that  _ cat _ was any stronger, it could’ve seriously hurt your dæmon.”

Without waiting for a reply, the Captain left the room.

“Fuck man! What the hell’s wrong with that guy?” Tadashi grumbled. Noticing Jack’s silent disposition, he turned towards the blond “Hey buddy… Jack. You alright?”

“Yeah…” Jack refused to look at Tadashi, Vaeltaja slinking over to press against his legs. “ ’m fine.”

“You’re not.” It was more of a statement.

“Yeah well… Not the first time,” He mumbled, giving Tadashi a one-sided smile. “Look Tadashi, we’re...we’re good right?”

“ _ Of course _ we’re good,  _ otouto _ .” Tadashi gripped Jack’s shoulders, forcing the blond to look at him. “Look I’m sorry for egging you like that. I’ll find some way to--”

“Morrison!” a voice yelled from the corridor.

“I gotta go,” Jack mumbled.

“Yeah…” As the blond was about to leave the room, Tadashi called him back once more. “Hey. No retreat…”

Jack smiled “No surrender.”

Tadashi watched as the blond left the room, a free hand coming up to pinch his chin thoughtfully. A brush by his ear had him looking into his squirrel dæmon’s eyes, a single thought flashing through both minds simultaneously: Gabriel Reyes needs to know just  _ who _ Jack Morrison was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Otouto means 'little brother' in Japanese


	3. Felipe

_ Dammit _ .

This was supposed to be a sparring match, nothing more. But as Gabriel circled Martinez, chest heaving, the smile the other woman directed at him was nothing short of malicious. The black panther dæmon of hers was drawing a lazy tongue over sharp fangs as amber eyes tracked Estrella who was fluttering in the air, feathers missing from her wings.

Martinez was of the second batch of SEP inductees, a close-combats specialist, she had been asked to demonstrate some more-advanced techniques to the newest batch of SEP recruits. Unfortunately, she needed a sparring partner that could keep up and it just so happens that Gabriel was the only other close-combats expert on this damn base who could  _ sort of _ hold his own against the woman.

A few weeks had passed since the incident in Bose’s room and even from this distance, he could feel Jack’s blue eyes boring into his back as he and Martinez sized each other up. Gabriel had made no move to talk to his partner after the incident and the blond had made no attempt to try, instead keeping his distance and being on his best behaviour. Which suited Gabriel just fine. It still puzzled him why Bose’s partner had let Jack and Vaeltaja close and even continued to stick close to the blond (much to Bose’s obvious discomfort), but asking about such stuff was above his paygrade - or so Gabriel told himself. All of them were here for a purpose; get stronger and then go back out there to give those damned omnics hell, he didn’t need to get attached, he didn’t need complications - he had seen enough of what ‘feelings’ could do on the battlefield

Martinez lunged, drawing her fist in and lashing out with lightning speed. Gabriel barely had time to react, catching the fist and feeling the stinging flare of pain race up his arm. He twisted the fist, trying to unbalance the woman or at least force her to retreat but Martinez was having none of it. She drove forward, pushing her weight into Gabriel before weaving her legs with his and driving him to the floor. They grappled there, neither getting the upper hand. Martinez plunged her elbow towards his unprotected chest and Gabriel parried, knocking the woman’s legs from under her before flipping their positions. Martinez retaliated by driving the heel of her boot into his kidney. They both sprung back, gasping for breath.

Beside them, their dæmons were hardly idle. With speed and height, Estrella dove for the black panther - a speckled blur. With a quick slap of her wings, Estrella had her talons out, curved and glinting in the air as she made contact with the feline’s pelt. Felipe - Martinez’s dæmon - dropped and rolled, letting Estrella’s claws zip past, just bare of nicking his fur. Recovering quickly, the cat darted a paw out, catching the owl’s tail feathers as Estella screeched in anger. Twisting in the air, the barn owl swung her wing across the panther’s sensitive nose in what would have been a very effective right hook. Felipe leaped back, snarling.

“Tired already Reyes?” Martinez mocked.

_ Just saving my breath pendejo! _ Gabriel charged the other woman, hoping to use his superior weight to end the match. Too late did he see the smirk stretching across her features.

With grace and power only found in felines, Felipe leaped skywards, the lithe body stretching as silver claws reached and closed around Estrella, snatching the startled owl from the air. They plunged earthward with the bird pinned beneath the mighty cat’s paws. Gabriel felt his dæmons contact with the floor as a blow right between his shoulderblades, a pained grunt escaping his lips as he struggled to maintain his momentum and balance. Against any other foe, he might have held his own, but not Martinez. The woman easily took advantage, using Gabriel’s speed against him and flipping him easily onto the ground. With a quick twist, she had one of Gabriel’s arms pinned behind him as she drove her knee into his still aching back.

Gabriel struggled, twisting to unbalance the other woman. A sharp tug had him wincing in pain as Martinez twisted his pinned arm just shy of pulling it from its socket. At the same time, her knee drove painfully deep into his back, any more pressure and he suspected it would break the spine. Gabriel felt more than saw his own dæmon pinned to the floor, the rough training mat rubbing against broken feathers as Felipe held Estrella down with a large paw, claws glinting and threatening to plunge into the owl’s speckled wings.

_ Dammit _ . He knew Martinez was enjoying this, taking pleasure in his futile attempts to knock her off. Gabriel hated admitting defeat especially against people like  _ her _ , but he didn’t have a choice. It was either that or have Martinez tear out his arm.

“Yield.” He growled.

For a moment, the pressure on his back increased, a pained huff escaping Gabriel’s lips as his arm was twisted just that little bit more, and then the weight was gone as Martinez released him and dusted herself off. Groaning as he pushed himself to his feet, Gabriel had to resist the almost irresistible urge to punch the smug grin off the other woman’s face. As he massaged his still aching arm, Estrella - freed from Felipe’s pin - fluttered up to rest on his opposing shoulder, glaring daggers at the black panther slinking up to the woman’s leg, tail flicking playfully in the air. This lose will do nothing for their pride but at least they had gotten away without serious injuries, after all - Martinez didn’t know the meaning of ‘enough’.

“Anyone else?” the woman yelled, eyeing the recruits surrounding the ring. Gabriel rolled his eyes,  _ point proven _ . “Come on  _ soldiers _ ! You guys aren’t gonna improve standing around!”

No one from the recruits stepped forward. They had just seen what a six-month-serum-filled-close-combat-specialist could do and no one was keen on seeing if their own meagre 2-week-serum-induced-state was enough to take down a woman of Martinez’s caliber. Of course the grinning panther by her side does nothing to encourage volunteers.

“Come on  _ ladies _ ,” Martinez huffed, planting her fists on her hips like a very disappointed mother “Alright, how about this - two on one. Two of you, against one of me. Sounds fair, right?”

_ Not really _ . Gabriel thought harshly as he moved to the side of the ring. He knew what the woman was doing, most of the recruits in the fourth batch had come straight out of basic and still lacked the cohesion usually found in officers that have served in the field for extended periods of time. This meant that they had a higher chance of getting in each other’s way and do more damage to each other than to their opponent. Martinez would no doubt use this to her advantage and humiliate the two soldiers unfortunate enough not to realise this.

“I’ll give it a go.” A hand shot up from the assembled recruits, an uneasy wave of murmurs echoing the statement.

Tadashi Yamaguchi stepped from the assembled crowd, Hikari clinging to his shoulder with her tail fluffed up in anticipation. Gabriel narrowed his eyes,  _ just what... _

“Jackie, come on.” Tadashi beckoned to the blond “You’re my partner.”

“Tadashi--” The blond began to protest

“Come  _ on _ , don’t leave a brother hanging.”

Grumbling under his breath, Jack stepped into the ring, Vaeltaja by his feet. Gabriel quirked a brow.

“Oh-ho! So you’re the new cat-boy!” Martinez exclaimed, clapping her hands once as if it amused her greatly “Good choice, good choice. Now let’s see what the two of you can do.” With that, she dropped into a guard stance.

Estrella fluttered her wings in concern, a fight between two cat dæmons with a squirrel in between was no doubt bad news. Someone was going to get seriously injured…

* * *

 

“Jack,” Tadashi whispered

“Yeah?” The blond whispered back, sweat was sliding down his temples as he eyed Martinez and her black panther. He balled his hands into fists, trying to calm his suddenly tingling nerves. 

“You remember that movie I showed you, the one with the dinosaurs? Where the little dino teamed up with the big one?

Jack blinked, chancing a brief sideways look at his friend “You think it’ll work?”

“It’s our best chance.” Tadashi was grinning from ear to ear, tension was high and the feeling of something about to snap was putting both of them on edge.

“Heh,” Jack chuckled “No retreat?”

“No surrender.”

The lunged for Martinez at the same time.

* * *

Martinez had expected an uncoordinated attack, two people charging like that usually were. But these boys apparently had a plan - they knew each other, no doubt they’ve fought beside each other. Tadashi took point, charging into Martinez’s middrift, the woman grunted with the impact, quickly bringing her fist up to connect with the man’s open side - only to feel her fist caught in another’s hand.

Jack grabbed and twisted the arm, forcing Martinez to follow or risk losing it. Tadashi followed up the advantage, lashing out a quick punch to the woman’s stomach. Martinez snarled. Wrenching her arm free, she twirled into a spinning hook kick, her heel striking across Tadashi’s face - he dropped to the floor, stunned. Jack moved, taking a protective stance over Tadashi as he recovered. Spitting to the side, Martinez darted in for a quick series of punches - only to feel something at her core tug her back.

Felipe had his tail caught in Vaeltaja’s jaws as the cheetah pulled the panther away from the waiting squirrel. Just as the black feline turned to face the other cat, Hikari darted in, quick as a bolt of lightning to latch onto one of Felipe’s ears. The panther’s roar of pain was followed by quick twists of its black body as it tried to buck the squirrel from its sensitive ears. Distracted, Felipe didn’t see the spotted blur until it connected squarely with his ribs.

Hikari readjusted her grip, sinking sharp front teeth into the panther’s scruff as the black cat tried to lash out at Vael. Both felines were reduced to tooth and claw as they battled for dominance. A final lash from the cheetah’s claws had Felipe hopping back. Hikari dropped her bite on the panther, following Vael as the two large cats broke away, landing squarely on the spotted back with steady paws as the felines circled each other, tails lashing and hackles raised.

Tadashi was on his feet once more, backing Jack up as the blond spearheaded the attack. Martinez found herself parrying one man’s kicks only to receive an unexpected strike to her unprotected leg, forcing her to her knees. A quick twist and punch had the blond jumping back clutching his stomach but left her open to another strike from his partner. Martinez might be stronger, might be more experienced in hand-to-hand, but she couldn’t beat these two  _ boys _ . Their coordination was not something she had expected from raw  _ recruits _ coming from straight out of basic

Unbeknownst to her, neither Tadashi or Jack were recruits coming from basic.

* * *

Gabriel watched stunned, as Martinez was continuously forced to defend.  _ He _ had known, that Jack hadn’t come straight from basic - if the missing segments in his file were any indication. He had suspected the same when Bose had come to him with similar questions of why there were missing bits in her file regarding Tadashi. Despite all that he hadn’t bothered to ask the blond about it, just the sight of the cat dæmon putting him off.

_Humans with cat dæmons_ _were independent, they keep to themselves. Good luck getting one to play nice._

That was what he was told, what  _ everyone _ was told. He hadn’t asked because he hadn’t expected Jack to answer. He didn’t bother bonding with his partner because what was the point if he was going to go off and do his own thing later? Humans with cat dæmons didn’t care about others, they were all for themselves, that’s what he was  _ told _ . But now, as he watched the blond block a kick that would have knocked Tadashi out, he couldn’t help but wonder - what kind of person  _ was _ his partner.

His brown eyes flicked to the edge of the ring where the dæmons were engaged in a fight, apart from their humans - but only in body. Hikari was using Vael as a constant stepping stone and the cheetah was willing to oblige. With every lunge and contact against the black panther, Hikari leapt from Vael’s shoulder to attack Felipe’s back again and again, leaving miniature scratches and bite marks from her sharp front teeth before leaping back to the safety of Vael’s back as the two cats broke apart once more. Their teamwork was not only in forcing Hikari’s attacks but empowering Vael’s agility, as both tails flicked in unison, speed maintained with balance as Hikari provided the minute fine tuning that Vaeltaja needed to avoid Felipe’s more powerful strikes.

They worked well together, the cat and the squirrel.

Gabriel huffed, Estrella fluttering her wings uncomfortably from her perch on his shoulder. Despite his attempts to maintain his more or less emotionless stance, Gabriel found that he couldn’t deny the slight feeling of admiration as he watched the cheetah dæmon snatch the squirrel from a particularly nasty position just as Jack grabbed Martinez’s arm, leaving Tadashi free to attack. He knew just as well as everyone, that dæmons couldn’t lie, that what he was seeing was the blond’s true feelings and intentions - and he was far from the uncaring and selfish individual that Gabriel had been told about of cat dæmoned individuals. Estrella fluttered her wings once more, and Gabriel couldn’t help agreeing, a twinge of guilt pervading his supposedly stoic facade - was it still possible to salvage their non-existent partnership? Did Gabriel even  _ want _ to? After all, attachments and feelings were just complications and additional ammunition to be used against him… right?

A yowl interrupted his thoughts as his attention darted back to the fight in the ring. Vaeltaja hadn’t been fast enough dodging one of Felipe’s blows. The damage was apparent as the spotted feline limped backwards, front left leg now hanging useless. Hikari was trying to compensate, distributing her small weight across Vael’s back to reduce stress on the injured leg.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. Didn’t he hear somewhere before that cheetahs were the most fragile of big cats…?

* * *

 

“Jack, you alright?”

“Y-yeah,” He winced, his left shoulder felt anything but alright.

“Just a little bit more  _ otouto _ , we have her, we got this. Just stay with me.”

Jack could only nod, pain was worming his way up his arm right to his head. Was it broken? He didn’t have time to ponder. Sweat coated his brow, threatening to fall into his eyes and blind him but he couldn’t take his hands away from their defensive stance, not with Martinez outright glowering at them like she was deciding who to kill first.

“Come on LT. On my sixth.” Tadashi panted

“Roger,” Jack growled.

They lunged. Tadashi’s kicks were accompanied by Jack’s punches, a back-to-back dance with both performers covering each other’s openings. Martinez blocked and parried accordingly, her brown eyes were brewing a hidden storm, flicking over the two men as she calculated, assessed, waited.

The moment an opening showed itself, she darted in, landing a solid kick right to Jack’s already injured shoulder. Jack swore that he heard bone crunch in his shoulder as he dropped and rolled, clutching the injury. The moment he was on his knees, ready to rise again, Martinez’s leg swung forward with all the force of a wrecking ball, hitting him right under his chin. Jack fell back onto the training mat with a pained grunt. He had barely hit the floor when he heard Martinez rounding on Tadashi.

Vaeltaja, already slowed by the damage done to his human, wasn’t fast enough. Felipe pounced on the spotted cat, lashing out at the injured leg and tripping the other feline. Hikari, enraged at the assault leaped from Vael’s shoulder onto Felipe’s back. Unfortunately, it was just what the black panther wanted. Twisting with the squirrel still latched to his back, Felipe dealt a strong kick to Vaeltaja’s ribs, sending the cheetah spiralling out of reach of the squirrel’s leap.

Undeterred, Hikari sunk her front teeth in, driving them deep into the panther’s scruff. A pained snarl rewarded her efforts but Felipe wasn’t through with her yet. Twisting quickly, the panther rolled on top of the small squirrel, crushing the rodent under his heavy body.

The breath left both human and dæmon in a puff, Martinez and Felipe followed up, the human landing a scissor kick on Tadashi and her panther cutting off Hikari’s escape.

Jack winced as he struggled to get his legs beneath him. The fight was going too fast, too wild. Somewhere at the back of his mind Jack knew, he knew they had gone past ‘sparring’ and gone to actual ‘fighting’. They had to end this  _ now _ before it actually got seriously out of control. But how?  Martinez fought with all the ferocity of her panther, powerful blows finding their mark time after time...Her panther…

Jack’s blue eyes darted to where Felipe was rounding on Hikari, a lazy pink tongue sliding over bared canines. The black panther’s claws were unsheathed, clicking against the training mats in undisguised aggression. Power was building under the black pelt, a low threatening growl thrumming deep within the cat’s throat like a rumbling storm. Jack had seen this before, had seen enough of this on the battlefield; when an individual was so caught up in the fight, in the  _ bloodlust _ , that they begin to forget. Allowing the more primal instincts of their dæmons take over…

The black cat stilled, tail swaying gently in the air as it righted itself. Muscles tensed in a vibration that echoed through the panther’s body as the cat lowered itself shy of brushing the ground before shifting into a running leap, diving right for the tiny squirrel, claws arched to pierce the dæmon’s soft fur.

“ _ NO! _ ”

Claws like silver knives slid down the spotted pelt, scattering bloody droplets like rose petals across the training mat.

Felipe hoped back, startled at facing more resistance than anticipated. Spotting the cause of his frustration, the panther snarled, amber eyes flashing dangerously. Vaeltaja, shaking from the tip of his ears to his tail, stood over the squirrel dæmon. Blood dappled the usually well-groomed fur, three deep claw-marks having been painted across the cheetah’s flank. The spotted feline yowled back despite his injuries, rigid and tense. Felipe’s lips curled back in a snarl at the challenge.

“Jack! Back off!”

Tadashi’s cry fell on deaf ears as Felipe lunged once more, catching Vaeltaja’s neck in his strong jaws. Jack felt the air rush from his lungs, the attack to his dæmon felt in every nerve of his body, wracking him with pain. The panther did not relent, forcing the other cat into the floor before dragging clawed paws down Vael’s unprotected belly. 

Blood dribbled freely down the cheetah’s white belly, Jack didn’t have to look down to know that the injuries on his dæmon were being reflected on his own body. A cough broke from his throat, wet and bubbly. The pressure on his neck tightened, blackness seeping in at the edges of his vision.

* * *

Gabriel had watched the event unfold, shock momentarily freezing him as the cheetah dæmon took the blow meant for Tadashi’s squirrel. Not a moment later and he was running into the ring, strong arms circled around Martinez as he hauled the thrashing woman away from a bruised Tadashi.

Estrella had broken away from her human once she was within range. Dropping down to sink her talons into Felipe’s neck before wrenching the snarling panther off the now-prone cheetah. Something was wrong, Jack and his dæmon weren’t moving, their joint blood seeping into the floor, weaving into the threads of the training mat.

“ _ Dammit _ Martinez!” He snarled “Snap out of it!”

The woman whirled on him, one hand lashing out to strike Gabriel. He caught the fist squarely before jerking the arm roughly behind Martinez and slinging his free arm around her neck in a chokehold. She struggled and he persisted, tightening his grip until he felt her weaken. Her punches stopped as she focused on getting Gabriel off, finally she delivered three weak slaps to the side of his arm - “let me go”. He released her quickly, barely registering as she fell away from him, coughing and sputtering. His attention taken up by the prone forms lying still upon the floor.

Tadashi was by Jack’s side by the time Gabriel managed to drop down beside them. The blond was lying on his back, blood dribbling freely down the front of his shirt from what looked like claw marks - identical to those that were on Vael’s body. His eyes were closed, only the gentle rising and falling of his chest indicating that he was still very much alive.

“ _ Fuck _ , Jack, can you hear me?” Gabriel asked, trying not to let panic enter his voice.  _ Dammit _ , the blond was  _ his _ partner and he’d be damned if he let Jack die in a fucking sparring-match-turned-deathmatch.

“ _ Otouto _ , open your eyes.” Tadashi demanded at the same time, patting Jack lightly on the cheek, trying to garner a response. “Come  _ on _ , don’t do this to me…”

The blond blinked open soft blue eyes, just a slit, but enough for both Tadashi and Gabriel to notice. A cough escaped his chapped lips, wet and bubbly to their ears, his voice was soft, so soft that Gabriel had to lean in to hear him.

“S-stardust…”

Gabriel blinked “Stardust?” He asked, confused.

Jack coughed once more, focusing cornflower blue eyes on Tadashi. “Stardust” he gasped, louder.

Tadashi reached a hand out, gripping Jack’s shoulder in a firm squeeze before letting him go. “I got it,  _ otouto _ . Just stay awake.” To Gabriel, Tadashi went on “Can you carry him to the med bay? I’ll follow.”

“Carry him?” Gabriel asked “I can’t move him away from his dæmon, you know that!”

“Leave Vael to me.”

For a moment, Gabriel stared. To touch someone else’s dæmon was - in brief - ‘the worse breach of etiquette imaginable’. No matter what situation - even in real battle - it was deemed forbidden, a  _ taboo _ to touch someone else’s dæmon. After all, to touch a dæmon was the equivalent of touching someone’s heart, with all their secrets, all their vulnerabilities laid out to see. Unless permission of some form was given, it was just  _ wrong _ . And that’s when it struck Gabriel.

_ Stardust  _ \- it was a safeword.

Without hesitation, Gabriel slipped his hands under the blond, lifting him up carefully so as not to jostle the wounds. Jack leaned into his hold, a barely audible gasp escaping his pale lips accompanied by a full body shudder as Gabriel spotted Tadashi doing the same for Jack’s dæmon. It still looked… unnatural,  _ strange _ , for someone else to be touching the cheetah but right now, it was  _ kind of _ a life-or-death situation. With Vaeltaja deposited safely in Tadashi’s arms and watched over by Hikari, Gabriel nodded once before making a move out of the training rooms and towards the med bays, Estrella flying before him to clear the way.

Even though he did not stop moving, Gabriel’s mind couldn’t help but race. Questions upon more questions piling up. What kind of situation would Jack had to have been in that it was necessary to establish a safeword with his friend? What  _ did _ Jack do in all those years after basic training? And most of all, what was Tadashi to Jack… that the blond trusted with even the handling of his own dæmon?


End file.
